


Death returned me to you

by Yogowaga



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Spirits, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Ghosts, Heavy Angst, Homophobia, Horror, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Love at First Sight, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Mentioned Bangtan Boys | BTS Member(s), Near Death Experiences, Not Really Character Death, Taegyu main focus, Taehyun ghost boy, enchanted forest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:49:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29827290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yogowaga/pseuds/Yogowaga
Summary: Beomgyu gets ditched at the side of the road next to the infamous forest of death, somewhere no one goes and neither does he... That is until he sees a boy in the forest who looks extremely scared and is trying to save him from something.orBeomgyu meets the spirit of a boy he saw as a child, their meeting is brief but nobody makes him feel like Kang Taehyun does. And he makes a promise not to come back for him but it isn't his fault when his friend enters the dangerous area, and because he knows what the forest holds he can't let him go in alone. He saw one boy enter the forest and he isn't letting his friend die there as well.
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun
Kudos: 13





	Death returned me to you

**Author's Note:**

> It's classified as borderline horror, people get hurt and they're extremely scared for most parts with small bits of fluff between Taegyu. I consider the ending happy as the characters are happy but it's also terrible at the same time... It's very dark with graphic violence.
> 
> You have been warned.

He cursed as he looked back down the road, a little piece of him hoped that the car would come back, make a U-turn and save Beomgyu from the punishment, he wished for his friend to change his mind and pick him up again, say that he was only joking and wouldn’t really leave him there all by himself.

But that wouldn’t be the case, not if he knew his friend.

He heaved a deep sigh as he eyed the forest behind him. It was called The lost depth by the youth and superstitious citizens. Nobody had ever been able to prove that it was magical in any way but like its name suggested it was a deep forest, you could walk there for hours and maybe days before finally reaching the outskirts. He’d heard a few years ago that a boy walked into the forest to hide from his parents but he never made it out again as he had supposedly starved, others said he froze to death. Beomgyu didn’t know the true story but he could confirm that a boy had entered the forest, he could confirm that a search party with police dogs looked for him an entire week before they chose to give up. They decided he would be dead because how would a six-year-old survive a week in a cold forest without food?

The story always made him feel guilty. He didn’t know the kid, he’d never seen any other part of him than his back but he had seen him. Beomgyu had been sitting by the window doing god knows what when he saw a boy around his age enter the forest. He thought nothing of it as he just brushed it off before continuing his previous shenanigans, he was seven, what was he supposed to do about it?

It was the day after that his mother told him that a neighbouring kid had entered the forest and disappeared. It was the first warning he received about staying away from the area.

The memory sent a shiver down his spine as he stared into the depth of trees. He wondered whether the body was still out there somewhere.  
He forced himself to tear his eyes away as the longer you stared the more you would see and Beomgyu was terrified of the things that could be revealed by an observant eye.

He sighed again as he turned his attention back to the road, staring at it for only a moment before he started walking. He had to walk on the side of the road, so far out that the middle of the road and the forest were at the same distance to him. It made the hairs on his neck stand as he forced himself not to take a peek. The feeling of being watched was always present when you were close enough and he didn’t look forward to finding out what was giving that feeling, whether it was just a bird or one of the many monstrosities said to live there.

He fished his phone out of his pocket contemplating on calling someone like his parents to come pick him up as this was one of the few pranks he truly felt uncomfortable with. He had completely forgotten that this side of the forest had no internet connection.  
With a huff, he marched on. What would Yeonjun do if Beomgyu didn’t come back home after he had left him? The slightest impulse of staying hidden until the sky darkened appeared in the back of his head, quickly overruled by the fear of not managing to get home after that. He enjoyed scaring people but he wasn’t going to attempt something which made him feel so unsafe.

His legs were already aching from walking, the tiniest step felt like a mile as his calves burned from the movement but to be fair he was allowed to be tired, his friend was supposed to pick him up from school and drive him home, not abandon him on the road. It didn’t help much that his last class for the day was PE, the teacher made them run the entire lesson so he was already sore.

A bubbling feeling of annoyance was starting to fill up in his head as his face morphed into a frown. He’d have to get Yeonjun back for this. He had a few ideas such as locking him into his own highschool which was said to be haunted, of course neither Beomgyu nor Yeonjun believed in the rumours but it could still give the man a little scare which he was well deserving of at this point. He could also raid his fridge, steal his clothes and only leave an outfit made from Yeonjun’s most hated fashion pieces as clothing was surprisingly important for him.

But no matter what he did Yeonjun would always be able to get back at him, the perk of being two years older and practically an adult. He used to find it cool to have an older friend but with time he found himself to be the mature one in most situations as his friend would make him be responsible while watching Beomgyu’s mental breakdowns with a smile on his lips.  
It did prepare him for a hectic life though so he couldn’t say that there weren’t any ulterior motives to forcing the stress onto him.

It wasn’t like he faced the stress alone anyway as their friendship wasn’t a duo but a trio including the much kinder Soobin. They only met because at the time they were all in a mixed-age class together and they were the only Choi’s present so they bonded over that fact. They quickly found Soobin to be both shy and softspoken, Yeonjun to be confident and brash while Beomgyu was energetic and extremely supportive of their shenanigans. At one point his mother tried to place a wall between her son and his friends as she found them to be a bad influence on him but no matter what she did his friends always managed to sneak him out.

He smiled at the memory, his friends were nice and he knew they would never stop looking if he did disappear, they would search every second of their life until they got him back safe and sound. He wouldn’t be surprised if the two actually managed a resurrection if needed, they were crazy enough to pull it off.

He decided to bring his head out of the clouds as he continued his walk, the sky was getting darker by the second and even if the forest was empty of supernatural monsters he still knew there were other dangerous factors as he was pretty sure a wolf had been sighted in the area recently, the forest was thick enough to hide hundreds of carnivores as it stretched out at least a few miles to every side. 

As if on cue he heard a twig snap to his right, in the forest. Despite his previous decision of keeping his eyes away from the forest, he shot his head in the direction at the speed of light. Not sure what he would do if he saw something but afraid of getting hurt without knowing the attack’s origins. His breath caught in his throat as he backed out to the middle of the road, just enough space to stop and scan the surrounding area.

The shadow spreading between the trees made it hard to see anything at all especially now that the sky was growing into a darker shade, not offering any light for the woods. Out of the corner of his eye, he could’ve sworn he saw something move but as his eyes trailed over to the spot he found the place still as ever. He let out the breath he was holding but he didn’t relax as he turned his gaze down the road, scanning it for only a second before his attention went back to the forest. He was in a position where he needed to know what was happening around him but the fear of turning away from the woods stuck in the back of his head. His eyes darted between the places, wanting to keep an eye on everything at once despite it being physically impossible.

For a moment he just stood there and listened to his surroundings, picking up every little sound that reached his ears. A bird chirping, the wind hitting the trees. And another twig snapping.

He spun around in his spot, he kept twirling as his eyes swiped over the world around him. He was finding nothing out of the ordinary apart from the sky darkening faster than he would’ve hoped. Yet the sound of footsteps trekking through a forest with the faintest howl persisted and it was making every hair on his body stand as a shiver ran down his spine. His mind was blaring with alarm noises as his brain ushered him to run yet his feet remained rooted in the same place as he felt as if he was unable to move at all.

His breath caught up and his chest tightened with fear. The only sound around him being a silent howl, even cancelling out the footsteps as if the rest of the world had been put on hold just to scare Beomgyu but it was working so who was he to talk. 

“Psst!”  
He was starting to feel light-headed as he spun around yet again expecting to find nothing there. But this time he did. He felt his legs give out from beneath him as he fell to his knees, the asphalt road tearing into his jeans, his eyes were wide open as his heart stopped beating. His previous panting long gone as all air left his lungs. 

There in the forest stood what looked like a boy, he seemed on his guard as he kept an eye on his surroundings as Beomgyu previously had as well. It looked as if he was sneaking with his body lowered close to the ground, he was slowly making his way from the depth of the forest to he end of it where he stopped halfway behind a tree. Their eyes met and the boy seemed distressed as his eyes kept shifting from Beomgyu’s to the road before him, he looked as jittery as Beomgyu felt, his eyes wide open as he waved his hand in small motions signalling for him to follow the boy.

He looked utterly human with dark clothing and blonde hair, large eyes and a warm complexion. His body moved naturally as if would for any other healthy young man, his face seemed slightly pale but not enough for him to seem strange in any other way than coming from the forest.

“You can hear it too, right?”  
His voice was barely a whisper, but somehow it reached Beomgyu just fine, and he was able to clearly make out every word. The rushed out sentence followed by frantically searching his surroundings made him follow suit as he too looked down the road as the man obviously seemed more worried about the clearing than the woods he was hiding in. The world around them had shifted into an inky black and it seemed like fog was about to roll in as moisture hung heavily in the air, the wind ten times colder as the water in the air seemed to envelop everything, leaving wetness in his hair and cheeks, the temperature seemed as if it had dropped, the feeling of ice covering his body.

The feeling of dread felt like a cloak on his shoulders as his gut was telling him to make a run for the forest. He got into a crouching position but wouldn’t stand up properly as his head spun around, his eyes trailing each side of the road before he raised himself into a position that would let him move, and so he did. The boy had his eyes trained on him as it seemed as if he held his breath while Beomgyu moved. His steps were slow and muffled as he made an effort to create as little sound as he possibly could.

A soft howl reached his ears, he threw a glance down the street to find the mist laying heavy in the air only letting him see a few meters. The second sound to enter his mind was a silent whine like the sound of a dog. The boy in the forest squatted down as he kept his eyes on Beomgyu, still motioning for him to hurry. Now he regretted that he stepped out in the middle of the road as it gave him further to run. He forced his eyes on his goal, the boy, as it sounded like a canine was nearing with claws hitting the asphalt. What startled him was the loudness of the sound, it sounded as if the creature was abnormally large. He couldn’t help himself as he spared another glance down the road only to find a dark shadow growing larger as it neared through the mist. 

He felt the ground beneath him soften as he’d gotten himself in the ditch on the side of the road. He held his breath the last few steps as the boy was less than a meter away from him now. The boy leaned forward and reached a hand out as far as he could as if he was intending to pull Beomgyu in. He caught onto it and moved close enough to grab the other’s hand. His suspicion was confirmed as he was indeed pulled towards him much faster than he would’ve managed by himself. 

The other wrapped his arms around him and held him close as they both sat completely still, their attention on the road before them. Despite the dog-like form that neared he couldn’t feel scared anymore. He turned his head just so slightly to look at the boy holding him. He let out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding as he found him to still look as human as he hoped he’d be with rosy skin and eyes blooming with life.

The sound of claws clicking against the asphalt got closer and he turned his attention back to the road. The fog was keeping him from getting a clear look but he wasn’t sure he wanted one as he could make out the silhouette of an oversized dog at last twice Beomgyu’s size and he was rather tall. He held his breath as the dog reached the spot where he had previously stood. It stopped to sniff the ground, its body frozen before it turned its head in their direction.

The mist was heavy but he could tell he made eye-contact with the dog. It’s large black eyes pierced through his soul as it started moving again, this time it was coming right for them.  
Every muscle in his body tensed as the creature stalked on. The arms around him tightened significantly as he held Beomgyu’s back close to his chest, the feeling helped his body relax but his mind kept blaring warning signals as the dog stopped right before the ditch. It was looking at them, he knew because again he found eye-contact and he couldn’t bear to look away.

He watched as it’s large wet nose twitched as it sniffed the air. Then suddenly it turned its head away and trekked on down the road, leaving them both untouched. His eyes stayed on the dog until its silhouette was eaten up by the surrounding fog which seemed to disperse as the creature disappeared.

“I’m not the only one who died out here, but I died by myself, Jungkook was murdered on the road.”  
This time the strong arms wrapped around him offered no comfort as his muscles tensed and he sat frozen suddenly hyperaware of how the boy’s chest hadn’t moved nor had Beomgyu felt his breath against his cheek despite being firmly pressed against each other.

“You’re old enough for revenge but he still recognizes me as a six-year-old.”

Six-year-old?  
He moved his head to look up at the boy to find him already watching him with a sad smile. He could recognize him somewhat, he’d seen yearbook photos of the kid as they went to the same elementary school before he died. The memory of seeing him enter the forest flashed before his eyes as he got the sinking sensation of guilt. He still had the same fluffy blonde hair as the day he went, even his clothing was the same as he had ventured out in jeans and a t-shirt. The fabric felt thin, could he finally confirm that the kid had died from hypothermia? 

“Kang Taehyun?”

“Choi Beomgyu?”  
His eyes widened to full extent. His name hit him like a punch as all air escaped him as he froze into a statue-like state, earning a quiet chuckle from Taehyun. The arms around him relaxed so that they were just lazily draped around him giving him the chance to move as he wished yet he remained rooted in his current position as his life flashed before his eyes. Why did a dead man know who he was? Had he done something to the Kangs? Did he want revenge on something?

“W-why-”

“I’ve been dead for a long time, I’m forgetting a lot of people yet I remember you clear as day. Which makes you the last person to have seen me alive, Choi Beomgyu.”

His breathing slowly returned to him but so did the weight on his shoulders. He was the last to have seen the kid alive. He always hoped that he wasn’t, that someone else had seen him, he forced himself to believe that he wasn’t the last one. Because he couldn’t handle the guilt that swallowed him, he knows very well that it was too late to regret but if he had told someone then they could’ve found Taehyun before it was too late. The kid was supposed to be sleeping when he snuck out so no one realised until the morning after. He died but Beomgyu could have saved him.

“I died only an hour after entering. Turns out a man had been pushed into a frozen river in the forest a few centuries before. I was unsuspecting and he wanted revenge, I froze to death in the same river.”

Again his muscles relaxed as he looked at the boy. He seemed sincere, the energy surrounding him made it easy to breathe as his presence was comforting somehow. Normally he would’ve been scared out of his mind, crying from fear but unable to move. On his own, he would have died.   
Taehyun’s eyes held no malice, not a single part of him suggested he had bad intentions but how would he know? He’d never talked to a ghost before.

“It’s getting late, you need to get home before Yoongi wakes up, that is one vengeful spirit.”  
Without warning, Taehyun stood up. Which Beomgyu wasn’t prepared for as he was just shoved away but he didn’t have time to properly fall either as the boy took a firm hold of his hands and heaved him up so they were both standing. He grabbed Taehyun’s arms for support as he was barely able to gain balance and had no other choice but to support himself on something and that something was the ghost but he really got to suit himself.

It didn’t seem like he minded particularly much anyway as he returned the touch and held onto him until his head stopped spinning and he could confidently stand on his own. From being scared out of his much just a moment before he was rather impressed with himself that he managed to recover so soon. He wasn’t afraid anymore, not while Taehyun was holding him at least. 

But then came another problem; He wasn’t actually sure where to go from here. His initial plan was to walk along the road in the direction Yeonjun drove as he suspected that was the way home but as of now that he’s had the most traumatic experience in his life, he wasn’t sure which way that actually was anymore.

It seemed as if the other caught onto his confusion as he took Beomgyu’s hand with a scoff as he began walking, dragging him along as they navigated around the trees and rocks on the edge of the woods. They didn’t go further in but they didn’t go out on the road either as they stayed on the edge. With the lack of ghost knowledge Beomgyu possessed he wouldn’t be surprised if Taehyun was bound to the forest and physically unable to leave.

But he didn’t mind as the other kept a friendly pace, slow enough for Beomgyu to safely avoid slipping on moss, he even managed to avoid crashing into any trees as Taehyun carefully led him around potentially harmful objects. He chuckled to himself as he watched their entwined hands, the grip was gentle almost to the point where it felt like it wasn’t there at all but he suspected death might make you less solid. Firm or not he still appreciated it.

He thought he would tire immediately and slow down significantly since the previous ache in his legs hadn’t exactly disappeared. But much to his surprise, he found himself doing just fine. He looked up from their hands and he could have sworn that the other was smirking, he could see his cheeks raise, something that would only happen if you were smiling.

“What’re you so happy about?”

“I haven’t touched a living being in 12 years, let me have this.”

After that statement, he got a lot of thoughts that would sound extremely weird out of context, such as: Am I a good first touch? He mentally slapped himself as he rephrased it for his mind to be at peace. Instead, he thought about how he could make the experience better. After not having any physical contact for 12 years he doubted that Taehyun would really care about what kind of contact as he guessed even the smallest touch would be more than enough. But the thought of being so touch starved etched its way into his mind.

Beomgyu was a cuddly person who’d often engage in skinship even if it was just as simple as a high-five. He couldn’t imagine how it would be to not be hugged at least once every other day. But he also guessed that you’d learn to handle it after such a long time, maybe you’d even grow to dislike physical contact but Taehyun’s words suggested that it was not the case for him and that he missed the feeling.

He sped up slightly so he could walk next to Taehyun instead. The boy looked at him with wide eyes, shocked as Beomgyu realigned their hands so he could intertwine their fingers. He gently bumped his shoulder with Taehyun’s as his lips thinned out in a flat line to hide his smile. The other had no such worries though as he looked down at their hands with a wide grin, large enough to display his teeth as his eyes changed forms into crescents. It was the least he could do, really.

He couldn’t help but sneak glances at the boy. He had a pretty smile and Beomgyu soon found himself involuntarily smiling back as his efforts to hide it were futile. But even as his own smile widened he still found himself peeking whenever he was confident that he wouldn’t be caught.

“Keep staring and I might not let you go.”  
While the threat fell on deaf ears the part where he was called out didn’t. He quickly averted his eyes. How could he seriously have thought he was being smooth when he was attempting to be sneaky while walking hand-in-hand.  
But he couldn’t feel too bad when he looked up to find the other still wore the same smile. He found himself copying the expression even as the smile faded into a small frown. He knitted his eyebrows together and gave Taehyun a questioning look, hoping to find answers.

“You’re home.”  
He tore his eyes away from the boy to look up ahead. He was indeed home, just a few meters from the forest to his house. For some reason, it didn’t make him happy. On the contrary, he found his expression falling into a somber look, his heart sinking down to his stomach as a wash of disappointment hit him. He’d never met someone like Taehyun before, not just the dead thing, he’d never met someone who could make him feel so safe even if the situation seemed dire. Even the feeling of Taehyun’s hand in his felt different, it was so soft. 

But in the end, he realised he probably shouldn’t get attached to a ghost. The chances of them never meeting each other again were higher than any other outcome. He wanted to be someone Taehyun could hug, so he wouldn’t be so touch starved because Beomgyu could see it on him that he appreciated the act so much more than he was letting on. For the first time during their walk did the hold on his hand tighten. Taehyun had closed his eyes as he held onto him as if his life depended on it. 

His heart sped up in his chest as he watched the other’s face pass through several emotions before settling on a small smile as he opened his eyes and turned to Beomgyu, releasing his hand and taking a step back. Immediately he missed the warmth.

“Please… Don’t ever come back, no matter what you can never enter the forest again.”  
Taehyun’s voice was barely a whisper as if it would break if he spoke any louder.  
Beomgyu’s fingers twitched as he turned his head back to his house. His heart held him rooted in place as his throat closed up. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

Then he left.  
His back turned to the forest as he unlocked the door, using every bit of self-control he had to not look over his shoulder. His eyes stung as he entered his home. He ran up the stairs and didn’t stop before he was standing right in front of his window. He heaved a deep sigh as he kept his eyes off the forest, he shut the blinds without another thought and got ready for bed.

\---------

“Gyu, my beloved minion, how was your walk yesterday?”  
Yeonjun spoke in a honey-sweet voice, using his nickname as if it was supposed to ease the scolding he was about to receive but he could suit himself since it was he who approached Beomgyu. The boy who was staring daggers at his older friend.

Yeonjun let out a nervous chuckle as he patted Beomgyu’s shoulder as if it would help him in some way. His actions didn’t do anything to change his feelings, but his memories did. He all but deflated as he thought back to his walk in the forest, with Taehyun. The corners of his eyes got blurry thinking about it but he was able to blink it away before the other noticed. 

Today he didn’t have the strength to be mad at Yeonjun, without the prank he wouldn’t have yesterday’s events in his memories while the first part was terrifying. The following event made up for all the fear he felt. He heaved a deep sigh as he looked up at his friend with a small smile.

“Have you seen Soobin? He called me yesterday, said he was having trouble with some kids in his class.”  
The two of them equipped the same expression, a small frown and furrowed eyebrows. No, he hadn’t seen Soobin, at all actually. He would usually make an effort to meet during lunch as their lunch overlapped 15 minutes. But not today, he should’ve noticed it before but in his defence, he has a lot to think about.

“I’m just a little worried, I overheard someone say his name and The lost depth in the same sentence while walking here.”  
He snapped his head up to meet eyes with Yeonjun who was chewing on his lip as he scanned through the school grounds, hoping to find their tall friend in there somewhere.  
Beomgyu got a bad feeling as if his gut had punched him. His breathing turned shallow and inconsistent as he mirrored Yeonjun’s actions and started searching the area with his eyes, for every place he looked he felt his heart beat slower until he could’ve said it had stopped entirely as a blanket of cold sweat hit him.

Soobin’s class ended 10 minutes after Beomgyu’s and it had taken Yeonjun 15 minutes to get there from his school.  
And with what he witnessed yesterday during his near-death experience he felt the dread creep up on him ten times faster than it normally would as he remembered the wolf and the warning he received about another spirit. 

“Choi!”  
The two turned their heads in unison, the source of the voice was someone Beomgyu recognized as the student body president but he wasn’t looking in their direction, his eyes were trained on something else as he stood there with wide eyes.

The feeling of pure fear built up in his chest as his heart beat abnormally, his breath had caught in his throat as he followed the student body presidents eyes until they landed on Choi Soobin.

The man was running at the speed of light, his long legs taking him far as tears burned his face. Beomgyu looked in front of the man and while his heart stopped his legs found new life as he darted off after his friend. Beomgyu was one of the fastest students in the school but Soobin had height over him and managed to run at a similar speed. 

He was heading to the forest and Beomgyu was using all his strength to chase after. He heard footsteps echoing behind him and Yeonjun yelling for the two of them to stop, the words didn’t seem to reach Soobin as he continued running. The boy had never been this fast in the past, not even close to this speed but with what he heard from Yeonjun he guessed he’d run into trouble and judging by his tear-stained face and heavy breathing he suspected the other students had yet again got on his back.

His legs were already screaming at him as he ran faster, using every ounce of strength he had to follow his friend. The promise from yesterday echoed through his mind. “Don't ever come back, no matter what you can never enter the forest again.” His mind was yelling at him to stop but he had watched someone enter the forest before, he wasn’t going to let his best friend go in there on his own, even if they both died then at least they would’ve gone together and for now, that was the only thought running through his mind.

The footsteps that were previously following him grew distant as he sped up, pushing himself to the fullest extent as he watched Soobin jump over a rock and manoeuvre in between the trees. Mere seconds after, Beomgyu entered at the exact same spot. He noted that his friend was still moving at the same speed but he was catching up. 

He pushed away his fears as the woods grew thicker and the trees covered more, making it harder to see his friend who was darting around. He noted that the sound of yelling from the school had been muffled, he could barely hear Yeonjun’s panting as he had also chased after them. He wanted to stop and tell him to go back but he didn’t have time to tear his eyes off Soobin unless he intended to lose him between the trees.

“Soobin, Please!”  
He was getting closer again as his words finally pierced his friend’s previous wall of grief. He could see Soobin falling to his knees ahead, a broken sound escaping him as he sobbed loudly. Beomgyu pushed himself just a little more.

Once he finally came to a stop with his arms around his friend he began hyperventilating from previously not having time to breathe as he chased after his friend, only running on adrenaline and fear. He couldn’t yet comfort his friend as he was clutching his chest swallowing air as he tried to stabilize his breathing.

His anxiety grew as he realised the sound of Yeonjun’s footsteps had disappeared. He whipped his head around in every direction only to be met with trees, no sign of his older friend. He couldn’t help it as a sob escaped himself as well. His breathing was nearing a healthy state again but not quite there yet he still used all the air in his lungs to scream.

“Yeonjun!”  
They were already making too much noise not to be detected by everything the woods held so he called out for his friend once again as he wrapped his taller friend in a tight hug. Soobin was in no state to move yet and Beomgyu couldn’t leave him in fear of running into the forest and losing them both. His cries blended with Soobin’s as they held each other, his friend crying into his chest with all he had, grief exploding from him as he also panted heavily, hiccups escaping him in between sobbing.

Beomgyu had managed to catch his breath and quieted down immediately as he could, silently crying as he turned his head in every direction hoping to catch sight of their missing friend. Tears were leaving him like a waterfall as dread clouded his mind, the fear making his body tremble as he prayed for Yeonjun to be safe. 

“Soobin? Soobin, we need to find Yeonjun, please get up.”  
His voice was broken and he spoke shakily but he was answered with a slight nod as his friend covered his own mouth in an attempt to make less noise. Neither of them was particularly stable as they stood up but Beomgyu pulled through as he supported most of Soobin’s weight as they slowly staggered through the forest.

He had a vague idea of where they came from and started leading them in that direction. He made the choice to quiet down as much as they could, Soobin’s sobbing hadn’t gone away but he was doing it silently enough for them to catch onto other sounds that he forest held.

“Beomgyu! I’m here!”

He whipped his head around, the voice had come from their left so he dragged them further from it as he could confidently say that it wasn't a voice he recognized. The voice was light and it sounded like the owner was filled with happiness as not a single tinge of fear could be heard. He stopped as he heard the same voice repeat itself from their right.

Yet again he looked around as his grip on Soobin tightened. He knew where it sounded like it came from but he wasn’t dumb enough to believe it. The owner of the voice was in neither directions as the sound echoed between the trees almost as if the person could choose where they wanted to sound. If the person saw them which they probably did he would guess they were heading to the left this time as they must’ve expected Beomgyu to go the opposite direction from the voice but it was just the smallest hunch, he couldn’t confirm it.

He dragged them further to the right this time, hoping that the voice didn’t really come from there.

“Beomgyu, don’t leave me!”

A shiver ran down his spine as the voice echoed again much closer this time, almost as if the person was speaking right into his ear. He froze in his spot, he needed a plan, quick. But his brain wouldn’t work so instead he scanned the forest around them again and once he turned his head forward again he found a man standing a few meters in front of them. Soobin’s hold on him tightened and he returned the touch.

The man before them was much shorter than both of them, he had porcelain skin and his hair was a soft pink. He wore a cute smile that no doubt entranced several people in the past but Beomgyu wasn’t falling for it, not when his head was in the state of protection. He had to get to Yeonjun and get the three of them out of there no matter what.

“Fuck off! I Don’t have time for your bullshit!”  
He snapped as he pulled himself and Soobin in the opposite direction. He winced inwards as his roar echoed between the trees, no doubt attracting even more ill-intentioned ghosts. The one they were currently dealing with seemed to have been caught off-guard from Beomgyu’s reaction as his eyes had widened and he stood there with his eyebrows raised, frozen in place as his eyes followed them. 

“Beom, look.”  
This time the sound came from Soobin, who spoke quietly and pointed a finger ahead of them. Before he even had seen what the boy meant he already found his blood boiling with anger as their chances of escape were diminishing by the second. 

Once he looked up he spotted a large black dog watching them from a distance. Jungkook. A shiver ran down his spine as he looked over his shoulder to find the pretty man had followed them, he also kept his distance but he was no doubt stalking them waiting for a vulnerable display. 

“Binie! Gyu!-”  
The feeling of being covered by ice hit him as he heard another voice being cut off by a shrill scream of pain. His breathing slowed down as he looked in the direction of the sound. A broken sound escaped him as he turned to his right and found no one. This voice was Yeonjuns. He could identify it in an ocean of screams, no matter what surrounded them he would always be able to identify his two best friends.

“Yeonjun!”  
The two screamed in unison, newfound tears building up in his eyes as Soobin had already started sobbing again. He whirled his head around to see the pretty man had gotten closer and to find the dog- Jungkook had started moving with his eyes trained on the two of them.

His legs grew weak as he lowered him and his friend to the ground. Tears were escaping them both as Soobin let out another cry for their missing friend.  
The previous determination had started seeping away as his energy also left him. For the first time since entering the forest, he felt defeated. 

The pretty man had almost reached them and he didn’t stop walking even as Beomgyu turned to watch him. On the other side, Jungkook had gotten close enough for them to hear his breathing as he was only a few meters away.

“Hm, It’s a pity… You were doing so good, moving fast as well.”

Right before them stood a new man, he was taller than Beomgyu but didn’t exceed Soobin. He wore black clothing, wearing a stylish coat as he smiled down at them.  
The hand behind his back came forth and a strong scent of blood filled their noses as they watched Yeonjun collapse beside them. Soobin lunged for him while Beomgyu used the last bit of strength he had to stand up and face the new person head-on.

“Brave as well, are we?”

“Is this making you happy!? Will our deaths make your dead hearts flutter!? Is being murderers helping you cope!?”  
The man’s pleased expression washed off as he opened his mouth to answer, but Beomgyu didn’t let him. The rage consuming him was offering new energy as he made one last attempt to save them.

“Because yesterday I met a boy. He saved my life from that mongrel.”  
He pointed an accusatory finger at Jungkook who had stopped less than an arm's length away from them. The man opened his mouth to speak again, but Beomgyu cut him off.

“We talked and he smiled, not your disgusting facades but a real smile! I was nice to him and it made him fucking happy! He was missing human contact and I held his hand because he was fucking nice to me!”

He cut himself off to take a deep breath long enough for him to pelt out the last bit of his thoughts without break.

“He got a wish fulfilled from being nice so do tell what the fuck you’re getting from killing us!”  
The man before them had his eyebrows raised and his eyes had widened just the slightest. Beomgyu was breathing heavily, seething from rage as he glared into the man’s eyes, only breaking eye contact to throw the other two spirits the same venomous look. 

For now, everything was quiet. The only sound was Beomgyu and Yeonjun’s heavy breathing. He snapped his head towards the pretty boy as he heard him move but instead of reaching out from them he turned and walked away. Throwing a similar look as Beomgyu had over his shoulder, it was directed to the man.

On the other side, Jungkook had sat down and had turned his attention to the man, keeping his piercing eyes in that direction only. A small growl rumbled in his ribcage, also directed towards the man.

A soft gasp came from beside him and his heart stopped beating altogether. He shut his eyes, building up the strength to look at his friends. He expected that sound meant that Yeonjun was losing the grip on his life. Beomgyu had yet to see his injuries as he instead went on the offensive, attempting to at least save Soobin.

“How did you get in?”  
He opened his eyes as the man before them hissed, his eyes set on the spot Soobin and Yeonjun were. He knit his eyebrows together, the phrase not making any sense as the man spoke to Beomgyu’s friends.  
He took a deep breath, one single piece of hope filling him as there was no way the man spoke to them. The gasp might not have been Yeonjun at all.

He slowly turned his head down to his friends and the second he saw them his legs gave out beneath him. Soobin caught him close to the ground. His taller friend pulled Beomgyu into his lap, letting him lean on his friend as Beomgyu previously did to him.  
His eyes were stinging with heat as tears threatened to fall at any minute. A humourless chuckle escaped him as his eyes brimmed over. The weight on his shoulder washed away as he was showered in relief. 

There Taehyun sat beside Yeonjun, his hands moving around at the speed of light as he’d managed to get his hands on a first-aid kit and was tending to his friend who adorned two deep gashes over his chest. His body was covered in a red substance but it seemed as if the bleeding had slowed down as it stayed in the holes instead of flowing over as it previously had. It seemed as Soobin had done a good enough job holding him alive as he could see Yeonjun’s chest rising and deflating at a comforting pace, the area was moving in jabs as he had two large wounds but it seemed as if he could breathe nevertheless.

He looked down to the arms around him to find them covered in blood, as was Beomgyu now that Soobin was holding him. But he didn’t mind, as long as they were all breathing everything would be alright. It had to be.

“Excuse me?”  
A soft voice close to their left spoke, it startled Soobin but Beomgyu remained unfazed as he turned to look at the owner. It was the pretty man again, he had a hand hovering near Soobin’s shoulder but he quickly retracted it once he got their attention.

“Do you know… Kim Taehyung, have you heard of him?”  
The man’s eyes were glossy with tears as he stared between them, something hopeful on his face as he asked. Beomgyu could sense the previous malice that surrounded him had faded. So he stayed limp in his friend’s hold, not bothering to tense up as he expected no harm from the man.

Beomgyu recognized the name immediately but stayed silent as he knew Soobin was more familiar with the man, Yeonjun being most but he wasn’t in any state to answer questions so he left it to the taller.

“Y-yeah, Professor Kim, he teaches music in high school.”  
He watched as a single tear escaped the man and he broke out in a wide smile. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it as it shifted into a frown. Several new tears escaping him as he looked at the ground perplexed.

“Could you maybe… Ask him to visit Park Jimin’s grave? He won't see me but I just… I want to know he’s OK.”  
The name sounded familiar as he squinted at the man, going over his features again hoping to recognize him now that he had a name attached. Jimin was pretty but he already knew that. His eyes had previously looked like a predator as he chased them but in this light they were soft, brimming with hope as his face lit up speaking about Kim Taehyung. He frowned as he remembered where he’d heard the name.

The first time he heard it was when Yeonjun was telling him about his day. His music teacher, professor Kim, had shown them how to write a song and the one he used as an example was titled “Friends by Park Jimin.” He vaguely remembered Yeonjun telling him it was an affectionate song between close friends.  
The second time it was in an article only a few years ago, he remembered it from the brutality of it. The article was called “Body of missing person, Park Jimin found a week after his disappearance.” He remembered that the man had been kidnapped and sexually abused for a week before he was killed and dumped in a ditch beside the forest. The details had been enough for him to remember it. Park Jimin lived two hours away from the town and had been abducted after visiting a friend.

Soobin offered him a nod to which Jimin smiled. He whispered a silent thank you before he disappeared between the trees.   
It seems as if Beomgyu’s words had an impact, after all, that was his goal but he didn’t think it would call off their attack, he just hoped it would give them a few more seconds. Just so that he had tried, just so that he could die knowing he fought for his friend’s survival.

He turned his attention back to what was before him as he felt cold hands cupping his face. The smell of dried blood filled his nose but he couldn’t bring himself to care as his face heated up with the touch. His breath catching as he stared into Taehyun’s eyes that were searching his face, he suspected he was looking for an injury or something of the sort.

He knew that Soobin was perfectly alright, shaken up but physically fine. So he didn’t feel bad in the slightest as he covered one of Taehyun’s hands with his own, brushing his thumb in a circular motion over the other’s fingers.  
Taehyun’s gaze shifted to Beomgyu’s eyes and it seemed like the world around them froze as they stared into each other's eyes. But despite how tempting it was to get lost in the boy’s eyes another worry started to surface in his brain.

Why had they been left alone for so long? Why hadn’t the man interfered yet?

“I had to wake up Yoongi to pass through Namjoon’s field… The latter is fleeing and the former is chasing, if you hear any strange noises tonight I suggest you stay away.”

Taehyun brushed his cheeks once with his thumbs before retracting his hands altogether. Right, no attachments… Only as he tried to stand up did he remember that he was being held by Soobin who no doubt found the previous moment odd. He was released the second the taller caught onto what he was trying to do.  
He felt surprisingly stable as he stood up without a problem, strong enough to heave his friend off the ground as well. He chuckled at Soobin’s expression, the man had a lot to take in as he gained plenty of new knowledge such as there really were ghosts in the forest.

“Binie, why did you run into the forest? And why didn’t you stop when we called you?”  
His friend’s eyes hit the ground immediately as he bit his lip, no doubt feeling guilty over the dangerous situation he unconsciously put them in. Beomgyu took both of his hands in his own as a small sign of support. 

“It’s dumb, I’m… I’m really sorry, I could have killed us all…”  
Beomgyu squeezed his hand as he saw tears form in Soobin’s eyes. No matter what the taller said, the reason wasn’t dumb, he could guarantee it. Soobin was nice and sensitive but never before has he run away so blindly when comfort was right there, calling out for him. He heaved a deep sigh, he needed to pry the fact from him or Soobin would think that he didn’t care enough to find out the real reason. But now that had to wait as they still had a partially dead Yeonjun to worry about. 

“It’s fine. Taehyun, could you… lead us out of here?”  
His confidence wavered halfway through his sentence as he looked down at the ground. He cringed inwardly at his demanding nature. He had no right to ask anything of him as he already went out of his way to save their lives. I’m such a brat. But it wasn’t as if they could actually make it out on their own either, they had no choice but to ask a spirit to guide them.

“On one condition.”  
Both his and Soobin’s head shot back up at the speed of light, he hadn’t expected it but he had no doubt that they both would agree to any terms as long as they got each other out even if it meant sacrificing themselves to do so.

It seemed the intensity of their stares managed to make the boy uncomfortable as he pulled on his fingers, eyes wide open as the tips of his ears adorned a deep crimson red. He mumbled something too low for any of them to hear which he received two equally confused looks for. He guessed their stares only made it harder for him to speak his request as he repeated himself even quieter than before.

“I’ll help you just…”   
He trailed off, staring wide-eyed at the ground as if he was about to ask the toughest question of a lifetime, either that or the most embarrassing. Beomgyu broke out in a smile as he watched the other continuing to struggle. He let out a soft sigh as he walked closer, motioning for him to whisper it in hopes of actually getting somewhere. Not that he complained about watching Taehyun being flustered but he had to set his priorities and right now it was to get Yeonjun home safely.

“Can you hold my hand?”  
He turned his head to face the ghost who was looking down at his feet with a mysterious smile. Beomgyu blinked a few times, not expecting that to be the condition. He almost started laughing at the simplicity before catching himself. He was relieved, to say the least. He nodded to Taehyun’s request with a small smile before moving to Yeonjun’s side where Soobin already stood, contemplating on how to carry him as he was very much unconscious and very much injured. Even with the bandage, they would need to be careful not to harm him further.

“I’m thinking piggyback, that’ll be ok, right?”  
Piggybacking would probably be the easiest and if the holder walked with a straight back they’d be able to keep Yeonjun’s chest from moving too much. At least he had a bandage covering the wound so they wouldn’t have to worry about it getting infected from the germs on either one of their shirts.

“I think so.”

“I got him, you’ve been dragging me around all day, you deserve some rest.”  
They exchanged soft smiles before Beomgyu gently picked up their limp friend and Soobin got down on one knee so they would actually be able to get him in a piggyback position.  
He soon found it to be a lot easier than he expected so he had to say it went very well as all he had to do was place the older on Soobin’s back making sure that his arms were over his shoulders before the taller took a hold of his thighs and stood up

With a satisfied sigh, he went and took a hold of Taehyun’s hand, intertwining their fingers as to alert him that they were prepared to start walking. Unlike the first time they held hands, this time they both kept a firm hold of each other as they stalked on slowly making sure that Soobin and Yeonjun were doing fine.

For the first time since entering the forest, he found himself feeling safe as there were no dangers laying around waiting for them so he took his chance to really look around and appreciate the forest. The trees grew high as the tree crowns were quite far up, sparing them from worrying about any unexpected branches. Their classes ended around four and even though the forest got dark significantly faster than the surrounding world he still suspected the sky would have grown dark by now as it felt like they’d been there for hours, he decided that at least one hour had passed for it all to have gone down.

Again he found himself with the feeling that he would have found it much scarier if he wasn’t there with Taehyun. Now he could appreciate the visuals without worrying about being murdered. And the view was worth noting as a green hue laid over the forest bathing it in a soft green light. The tree trunks were a warm brown with the exception of one or two birch trees. Now that he wasn’t running he also found time to appreciate the ground as well, every rock within sight had a coat of fluffy moss giving off a softer appearance despite being literal rocks.

He found himself often looking over his shoulder to check on his friends who kept less than an arm's length distance between them. No doubt scared of losing each other again. But he really couldn’t blame them not after what had just transpired, the only thing keeping him grounded was the hand in his. For Soobin’s sake he wished that Yeonjun would be awake, Beomgyu could comfort him but there was something else when the eldest did it. Beomgyu played the teddy bear while Yeonjun could offer solid advice.

Once Soobin noticed his staring he received a smile before Beomgyu could turn his attention back to where they were going.   
Taehyun was leading with a blank expression, the direction seemed more like a muscle memory as the boy kept his eyes ahead without really looking as his gaze was frozen on one spot far away. A general sign of being deep in thought.

“What’s on your mind?”  
He tightened his grip on the other as he sent Beomgyu a sad smile before turning his eyes down on the ground.

“Remember when I told you never to come back?”  
He made a soft noise of confirmation. He was pretty sure he already knew the reason and he wasn’t thrilled to have it explained to him by the person he was going to be forced to separate with.

“You do understand why you can’t be here, with me… Right?”  
Taehyun spoke softly, barely loud enough to hear almost as if the moment would be ruined had he raised his voice.  
He sighed. He knew exactly why he couldn’t come back. Not only would he be in mortal danger constantly but he would also lose contact with his world if he got attached to a ghost. He would fade, and if he were caught, he would be sent to a hospital or worse, an asylum if he claimed he had spoken to spirits. It would ruin everything. A living being shouldn’t have a direct connection to a ghost.

“Yeah… I know.”  
The rest of the walk was silent but their hands stayed connected as they marched on. The silence was heavy in the air, not awkward but both he and Taehyun had a small cloud of sadness following them like a shadow. Beomgyu feared the moment they would leave the forest. The moment when he’d have to leave Taehyun behind, the moment they would have to separate forever.

His breath caught in his throat as he looked up to find the trees had spread out, thinning to the point where you could see the street outside the forest. The apartment buildings had also come into view. And Beomgyu had to make an effort not to stop as his throat closed up and his chest tightened, his eyes stung and no matter how much he blinked the feeling didn’t go away.

Much less so when Taehyun stopped, only three trees away from leaving the forest. His eyes were prickling with tears and no matter how much he kept swallowing the feeling of a sob being stuck in his throat persisted as the feeling escalated to the point he had to cover his mouth to not let any sound escape him.

Soobin seemed to catch onto it as he bumped his head against the younger's shoulder, offering a sincere smile as he left the forest with Yeonjun on his back. Leaving the two so that they could say goodbye, forever.

He looked down at their hands, they were still connected as it seemed neither of them really wanted to let go. Because when they did it’d have to be forever.  
For a moment they just stood there, both waiting for the other to let go, a moment that never came. He knew he’d have to be the one to let go first as he doubted the other could, the one who would never experience physical contact again. 

They both held their breaths as their hold on each other loosened to the point where the smallest movement could split them up.  
Despite his hand suffocating any noise that escaped him it wasn’t enough as a soft cry slipped out regardless, that and a waterfall of tears that had just been waiting for the dam to break.

He couldn’t bear to look up and face Taehyun, not when he was already struggling to keep his emotions in control. But he wasn’t going to leave without giving him one last glance. As his head slowly turned back up to face the other he found himself breaking again. His throat hurt from the muffled sobbing and his eyes stung as new tears continued forming.  
He took a deep shaky breath as he let go of the other.

But only for a second as he wrapped his arms around the other’s neck bringing their bodies close as he rested his head in the crook of Taehyun’s neck. He wasn’t left waiting for a single second as strong arms wrapped around his waist, holding onto him as if it was a life and death situation. Even if it wasn’t it did feel like it was.

Within seconds had his tears made it through the other’s shirt leaving a damp spot on the area where his collar started and partially on the boy’s skin as his face was in contact with both. 

“You have to be the one to let go.”  
Taehyun’s voice broke at the end, a silent cry leaving him as Beomgyu felt himself getting a matching patch of wetness on his own shoulder where the other hid his face. At least they were finding this equally hard. He knew he was the one who eventually had to let go but he wouldn’t rush it as he let himself find comfort in the other’s arms one last time.  
They stood frozen like that for what felt like hours. Beomgyu searching for the strength to let go.

He took a deep shaky breath as his hold loosened, Taehyun mirroring his actions. He wasn’t able to let go entirely as his hands still rested on the other’s shoulders, their foreheads connecting. Both of their faces held warmth and both held the same amount of tears. The only change the other did was to cup Beomgyu’s face as he used his thumbs to brush away his tears. His own hands travelled from Taehyun’s shoulders to holding his wrists, begging for him to keep holding his face for just a moment.

They held eye-contact as Taehyun kept brushing away Beomgyu’s endless tears as for every one removed another one came running down his cheeks.  
He watched as the other’s face came closer. He closed his eyes as he felt their noses touch. His heart was beating out of his ribcage as his breath mixed with Taehyun’s non-existent one. He was smiling when their lips connected. The smallest spark of happiness bloomed in his chest as he kissed back, gentle and slow but meaning a million things. He feared this would only make it harder for him to pull away but in the end, he didn’t need to as Taehyun pushed him away.

He pried his eyes opened as he staggered back, making sure he was standing balanced on his feet before looking back up. It didn’t matter if he was stable or not in his footing as he sunk down to his knees, either way, feeling the soft sensation of grass as he lowered himself.

He was sitting safely on the small patch of grass separating the street and the forest. The forest which blankly stared back at him. Nothing but trees filling his sight as Taehyun had disappeared. It felt as if a knife had been pushed through his heart as his crying caught in his throat, no more tears leaving him as he forced himself to stop. Taehyun had offered him more comfort than necessary and ended up being the stronger one, the one who managed to let go.

He pulled himself up on his feet again, the motion was shaky and he had to stand up carefully as his legs trembled but every time he looked up he was met with the same lifeless forest as he was supposed to. 

I’m going to live for you, for both of us.  
With one last promise, he forced his legs to move as he staggered onto the street. Keeping himself from looking back as he entered the apartment building closest, dragging himself up one set of stairs as he tested the door handle to find Yeonjun’s apartment still unlocked, Soobin had left it open for him. He smiled numbly as he locked the door behind him before kicking off his shoes and stalking into the bedroom where both of his friends had already fallen asleep.

He sighed, content as he watched their chests rise and deflate with their breath, both still being stable as they snored quietly. Yeonjun was already tucked in but Soobin had fallen asleep on top of the bedsheets so Beomgyu went and fetched a blanket before draping it over his friend and giving them both forehead kisses before he numbly dragged himself to the couch where he laid down.

Sleep took him fast as exhaustion washed over him and forced him to succumb to the   
Tiredness that was clinging to his consciousness. He did so willingly as he fell asleep with one man running through his dreams.

\-------

Turned out that Soobin’s dumb reason to have run into the forest wasn’t as dumb as he said. But even if he would have revealed it to them sooner they wouldn’t have expected anything like this regardless.

His eyes darted between the people present, his mind working at the speed of light to find a path that would take them all out of it alive, he could accept a few wounds in this situation as long as they all survived. Somehow he found this situation harder than the one three days prior in the forest. At that time he’d been intoxicated with adrenaline assisting his brain with the speed to think quickly and build a plan for them but this time he didn’t have any extra energy keeping his head over water.

He doubted it would’ve helped much either way as they were vastly outnumbered against foes fueled by hatred and fear, they didn’t want anything else than to rid the earth of the trio. But somehow that fact kept his body from tensing up completely, he suspected that his consciousness was already prepared for what awaited him. Yeonjun and Soobin would come with him after all and he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

It seemed his friends were in a similar mind space as they reached out to hold each other's hands one last time. Yeonjun who was in the middle kissed both his friend’s palms as they prepared themselves for what awaited, that little action no doubt set their attackers off in a fit of anger.

Soobin had been stalked by a group of seven men for a long time it was revealed. These men would scare him with weapons and made him run home from school on the days where Yeonjun wouldn’t pick him up. They threatened him in the bathrooms and spewed insults at him every single moment he was within hearing range. Had he known about it sooner he suspected that he would’ve charged at them with a knife, taking as many out as he could. 

He had learnt very well that murder wasn’t a death cause to play with but he wouldn’t have cared if it meant keeping his friends safe and sound.

The three of them had been backed into a corner inside of the school. Their pursuers had claimed that a teacher asked to see them all which they found strange but they didn’t have anything important going on as it was their latest day of the week and they wouldn’t have the energy to plan something.

But after waiting for much longer than they deemed appropriate a group of seven men had entered the classroom and locked the door behind him, all men clutching different weapons ranging from a bat to a machete. They were informed that they might have lived another day hadn’t Yeonjun worn a crop top that day.

Homophobes, typical.

The town they lived in wasn’t one where social norms changed fast and a lot of people still had issues with too many things that another town would have considered a second nature such as homosexuals. Out of the three of them no one had explicitly said they were gay, Yeonjun has had a few homosexual relationships but he was the only one.   
He wasn’t sure what their logic was as he ignored most of their speech in favour of saying his last prayers.

Soobin had already received a slash on his leg and stood wavering as blood seeped through his pants. It wasn’t a large wound but a cut was a cut. He moved at a sluggish speed not to cause any hasty attacks before he was ready but he knew that the second he completed his goal he would be dead anyway as the men would find it triggering.  
He slowly brought his friends closer as he looked up at them, a small smile playing on his lips, a sad version of a smile worn by Yeonjun and a soft frown on Soobin as he winced in pain. 

He heard a yelp behind him as he quickly brought his arms around his friends and pulled them into a group hug. He wasn’t unsuspecting in the slightest as he roared in pain once a bat had hit him straight over the back. 

After that, the attacks didn’t stop. He kept his eyes closed the entire time as he used his diminishing strength to hold onto his friends even as the grip became slippery with blood coating his hands. Every cut threatening to separate them but he wasn’t the only one holding on. Tears escaped him as he opened his eyes for a split second to see Soobin’s eyes rolling back in his head as he fell limp only standing because Beomgyu and Yeonjun were forcing him. After that, he couldn’t ignore the pain anymore as he screamed at the top of his lungs when he guessed a knife cut into him even as if felt like his skin was being stripped off by a blunt icicle. Agony passed through his flesh as the sensation of being on fire hit him and all air left him, making him the second one to collapse. From what he knew he wasn’t dead yet but he couldn’t hold himself up, only Yeonjun remained on his feet as he cried out in pain.

Beomgyu kept his eyes closed after that, not wanting to see the damage as the oldest out of them also fell. Once their bodies hit the floor most of the attacks subdued with only one or two men persisting in hacking at them. The sound made him nauseous as a knife was repeatedly slammed down in soft flesh. He guessed the elder was the target as Beomgyu’s arm around him received a litter of gashes shortly after.

He was still breathing, they had only managed to hit his back as his friends kept his front protected. He suspected that was why he was still alive. Yet he kept his eyes shut even as he felt his body being picked off the floor, torn away from his friends. He doubted he could’ve done anything about it as his lower body was completely numb, the side effect of having your spine exposed to brutal attacks.

The air in his lungs had started seeping out with every breath, the ability to breathe in had been significantly lowered as his back slammed against metal. He heard a door shut yet the ground beneath him rumbled as a guttural roar of an engine reached his ears.  
He moved his arm, the right one which was the only limb he could still move smoothly. Soon his hand came in contact with cold skin and the beginning of a shirt, his fingers dipped in a wound and he retracted his hand. Having felt the fabric and identified it as cotton he realised he had touched Soobin’s dead body.

There was a small relief blossoming inside of him as he realized he was the only one alive, neither of the other two needed to bear through this. He almost felt envious but settled with happiness as he wouldn’t have exchanged his experience with either of his friends, if one of them needed to feel the pain a little longer he was happy that it was him instead of them.

His breathing became barely existent as the surface beneath him had stopped rumbling and he guessed they had arrived at their destination. He kept his eyes closed as he felt himself being picked up as he laid on top of the others. Only when his back hit a familiar material did he dare to open his eyes again. His breathing was leaving him and he predicted he would die within the next minute.

He smiled despite it all as he embedded his working hand in the grass they were dumped on. Yeonjun and Soobin had followed him down the ditch mere seconds after. The eldest was unrecognizable with gashes littering his face, he guessed they meant to disfigure him. The other didn’t look much better either as his shirt had been cut into a crop top and his stomach was turned into one open wound.

He turned his head to the left as he heard the car driving off. His smile widened as he realised his location. Funny he thought as it seemed they were dumped in the ditch between the road and The Lost Depth. His blinking became slower as he was fighting to stay awake. He didn’t intend on prolonging his suffering, but as he saw a shape flawlessly navigate through the trees he forced himself to live a little longer.

“Hi.”  
He croaked out as it was the only word he had the breath to form. He watched the shape turn into a body as it came closer. Beomgyu’s smile was as wide as he could manage when the boy stopped right before him, on the edge of the forest.

Taehyun didn’t look sad as he placed a palm on Beomgyu’s cheek and smiled down at him. A familiar feeling of being safe covered his body as he worked hard to lift his hand, even if it was moveable the lack of energy made it hard to do anything at all. The boy seemed to catch onto his intentions and intertwined their fingers.

He stared at Taehyun with a grin as the edges of his sight darkened. His body had lost all strength as he felt himself suffocating. It seemed as if the tumble afterwards had been the last push and collapsed one of his lungs.   
But he didn’t mind, he didn’t care at all as the last thing he registered as a living being was the feeling of a pair of lips brushing against his own, the palm on his cheek stayed until his vision had left him and his life was seeping out. He felt both his hand being taken and held firmly. He blinked as he could vaguely make out the silhouettes of Yeonjun and Soobin sitting beside him, it seemed they had to watch him die after all.

He was happy as he died in Taehyun’s embrace, a dark feeling of relief covered him as he realised their spirits would be bound to the forest. He would get to spend his forever with the people he considered his soulmates and the one person who could make all of his worries disappear.

Choi Beomgyu’s corpse had the faint shadow of a smile, he could confirm as he was standing behind his friends. Peeking over Taehyun’s shoulder to see what state he died in.  
He chuckled quietly, his face looked better than the other two bodies but that was about it. At least their spirits were completely whole. The men before him all rose to their feet, his friends sending him small smiles. Maybe they weren’t completely unhappy with the idea of being dead together.  
Beomgyu didn’t mind his state at all as he felt warm hands cup his face, he returned the touch by pulling Taehyun closer by the waist.

This time their kiss wasn’t a goodbye, it was a welcome.


End file.
